A Whole New Outlook
by NCISfan2020
Summary: This is my take on how I wish events would have evolved in last year's Christmas episode. 16x10 "What Child is This" Sadly, these characters do not belong to me. This is for all of you Slibbs shippers (including myself)
1. Chapter 1

NCIS Fanfiction Story: "A Whole New Outlook"

Chapter 1: Unspoken

Gibbs had been down in the basement since he had left Torres and Bishop with the baby in the living room upstairs. No way in hell was he going to admit it, but seeing and touching Kelly's old bassinet for the first time in decades had stirred up some old emotions. He could hear each time the baby began to fuss and the seemingly natural response of new parents in his agents upstairs. He hated to admit that the connection between the two of them was very real and apparent.

After around two hours of complete silence upstairs, Gibbs decided to go up and check on the three of them and make sure everything was still okay. He rounded the corner into the living room to find Ellie and Nick both knocked out on the couch and the baby awake in the cradle on the floor. He was beginning to stir just a little. Gibbs bent down to pick up the little guy; he didn't want to wake Ellie or Nick because they had had just as demanding of a day as he had. He couldn't help but smile as he looked down at the baby in his arms who was smiling back at him. It stirred up memories of Kelly when she was this age. In order to continue to let his agents rest, he made his way up stairs with the baby. As much as he exhibited the disinterest in the baby itself all day, he truly did care about the little guy, and he wanted to make sure he was safe and comfortable for the rest of the night.

Gibbs placed the baby in his bed building a pillow barrier around him so he was not able to roll off during the night. Suddenly, he felt the buzz of his phone in his pocket.

"Who on earth would be texting me this late at night?" He thought to himself. Anyone who knows Gibbs at all would know to just call him if they needed him this late. After all, he was usually still up this late and was always down working in the basement. It was usually no use to try and reach him thought text. He never cared for texting, and so he usually just ignored anyone who tried to reach him that way. He only decided to check what it said when he saw the name that popped up on his phone. Her name was the only name in his phone that he didn't use the last name for. Jack.

"Couldn't find it in me to go to Vermont with that baby still being without his mother. How is everything going at home base?" she always had a way of getting around her true emotions when messaging him.

He didn't realize that he had been sitting on the edge of his bed staring at the message from her for twenty minutes straight until he then was awoken by another buzz of his phone.

"Didn't realize how late it was. Hope I didn't wake you. I'm sure Ellie and Nick have everything under control. Sleep good Gibbs. I will talk to you tomorrow," she knew full-well that he wasn't asleep. That man was half robot and his blood ran on coffee. It was very likely that he was still down in his basement working away on that damned boat. She only wished that he was up working on her instead of the boat.

"Snap out of it Jack," she thought to herself. She couldn't keep him off of her mind.

"Nope. Didn't wake me. Got distracted by the baby. Torres and Bishop were sleeping on the job, so I brought him upstairs with me. Going to be a hell of a night. Haven't done this is thirty years," he didn't know that she had been sitting in her office waiting for an excuse to come to his place. She heard her phone buzz on her desk. All she had to see was his name pop up on the screen and the beginning of the message. She was out the door and pulling up in front of his house before she knew it. She walked up to the front door and didn't even consider knocking or ringing the doorbell. He always had the door unlocked. It was an aspect of him that she always found intriguing. He had had so many horrible things happen to him in his life, even in his home, but he never let it keep him from feeling comfortable at home. He always wanted to stay him, strong and confident, but the other characteristic that played off of him keeping his door unlocked was his desire to always be accessible to those he cared for. There was many a night that one of his agents, or Ducky, or even she herself would come to spend with him in his basement hoping he could provide them answers to their woes. Tonight was honestly no different. Although it appeared different to any outsider, she knew that it would be clear to him that she hadn't really stuck around because of the baby. There was honestly no reason to even pretend at this point.

So, she went in with the full intention to be honest with him for once. Sure enough, as he had said, there was Ellie and Nick asleep on the couch. Next to them on the floor was an empty hand-crafted bassinet. "Man, how does this man keep getting better and better?" she thought to herself knowing that it must have been one that he had made for Kelly when she was a baby. To know that he had kept it all this time broke her heart. She could never imagine the pain he must feel every day since he lost his little girl. Her heart fluttered a little knowing that with the cradle being empty and both the agents still being asleep, it must have meant that Gibbs had the baby with him.

She headed upstairs towards his bedroom expecting to find him up reading case files or something along those lines. I mean honestly, this man never slept. Or so she thought, as she walked into his room she found the most beautiful sight she had seen in years. There, propped up on his bed was one Leroy Jethro Gibbs asleep with a peaceful baby sprawled out on his chest also sleeping. She was not prepared for this sight to move her so much, but there was honestly nothing like a sexy man with an adorable baby, especially this man. She couldn't help but just stand in the doorway and stare at the sight. This was an image that when she was a young woman she had always dreamed of experiencing with her husband and own child, but sadly never got. This was a close as she would ever get to that, but it was pretty damn close to a dream come true for her.

Not wanting to disturb the both of them, she went over to the reading chair Gibbs had in his room to find her own rest. Not feeling a bit tired, she decided to put herself to good use and began reading up on the case further, every now and then peering up at the two resting boys. After a while she noticed the baby beginning to stir. She got up from her chair to get him; it must have been time for him to eat again. Just as she had gotten the baby into her arms her eyes locked with a sea of steely blue.

"Jack, what are you doing here? When did you get here?" he asked in a groggily and confused tone.

"Didn't think it was fair for all of you to do this alone. You need rest so you can have your complete focus on the case, not on taking care of an infant. If you have you focus in two places it will take that much longer to get this little man home for the holidays."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of a baby and doing my job. Did it decades ago, and you know that I never get much sleep anyways. Why are you really here?"

"I told you already Gibbs. I didn't want to go before we found out who his mother is or where she is. I wouldn't be able to enjoy my trip until I knew he was going to be okay and why no one seems to be missing him."

"Ah, that it?" he could tell she was sitting on another thought. Sure, she did care about the baby, but he could sense that there was more to her story that she wasn't telling.

Of course, she could sense that he knew that she wasn't telling the whole truth. It was taking everything in her power not to blurt out to him that he was her reason for staying. She couldn't stand the thought of spending this Christmas without him. She had only agreed to go on the trip to Vermont in the first place to try and escape that feeling. How could she tell him that though? There was no way in hell that he could possibly feel the same way. But, why not take the shot. It would be better to finally know then to keep dragging it on. Just as she was about to tell him the truth, the baby began to fuss.

"Saved by the bell," she thought to herself.

"Guess we better get this dude a bit to eat. I can go down and get a bottle ready for him."

"No, you stay up here with him. He seems to really like you. I'll be back up in a bit," he responded admiring how sweet she seemed with a baby in her arms. It was a sight he truly missed. Seeing a woman he adored caring for an infant.

"You, little man, just saved my ass," she whispered to the baby in her arms with a grin on her face. He just looked back up at her and even seemed to grin back at her as if he understood what she had said.

Gibbs made his way back up to the room with the bottle in hand.

"You got it, or do you want me to feed him?"

"I've got it. That's why I came here remember? You may pretend like you don't need rest, but you are human Gibbs. Get some rest."

He begrudgingly handed her the bottle and placed his hand on the chest of the baby in the arms of the woman he secretly loved and was falling in love more and more with each moment that passed. How could he tell her without messing everything up though?

He made his way towards the bathroom so he could shower and get ready for bed. While he was in the shower thoughts kept creeping through his mind. How could he let himself get to this point? He had told himself that he would never be allowed to feel this way ever again. He constantly fought off any feelings he had developed for all of the women since Shannon, but this one got to him. There was no way to get rid of what he was feeling. He was going to have to face it head on and face his certain heartbreak. He was just going to have to get up the guts to face it, and he had decided there was no reason to wait. He would just have to face it after his shower. That was all stifled when he walked back into his room to find Jack sitting in his bed rocking the baby while singing a gentle melody to get him to finally sleep again. He couldn't disturb this moment, and so he decided to leave them be and just climb in bed next to them. He could face this tomorrow.

"Night you two," he said in a gentle whisper.

"Goodnight Jethro," she responded while grabbing his hand between them and gently squeezing. She had never called him by his first name before, but this moment it just seemed right.

The three of them nodded off peacefully for the next few hours, the two adults still with their hands interlocked between them. It would be morning soon, and then it was back to the real world. The two of them simply thought about these moments and what they meant for the future. Neither of them realized that their thoughts were going to all of the same places.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the Great reviews so far on Chapter 1. Here is Chapter 2. I'm really loving this story so far. I have it marked out to be around 5-6 chapters so far, but we will see where it goes from there. Please ignore any mistakes in the first chapter. I tried to make sure this one was better, but any feedback helps.

Chapter 2: The Bounce

The next morning Jack stirred as she began to wake up. She had forgotten exactly where she had ended up last night. Suddenly, she jumped up remembering last night. She needed to check on the baby and make sure he was still okay. As she reached to her side to where they had placed the baby to sleep in the night she felt a void where he should be. She then rolled over to realize that Gibbs was also not where he had come to rest last night.

"He must have woken up early. Knowing him, he probably barely slept at all and then decided to take the baby with him so I could keep sleeping," she thought to herself. She headed downstairs to see if anyone else had woken up yet. It must have still been pretty early. She hoped that the other agents were still asleep so they wouldn't be able to speculate as to when she got there and just what might have gone down when they were both sleeping. Sitting there at the kitchen table with the baby in one hand and a case file in the other was Gibbs.

"Morning you two," she said in a low tone in order to not disturb the two still sleeping agents in the living room.

"Morn'n Jack; sleep alright?"

"Actually, yes. I haven't slept that well in ages. Couldn't even remember where I was when I woke up. How 'bout you? Did you even sleep at all? I mean its only 5 am Gibbs"

"Slept as good as to be expected. You know me though, sleep and I aren't the closest of friends. Also, not used to having guests in my bed these days," he said with a smirk on his face.

She looked back at him with the cheeky grin choking back a chuckle. She knew what he meant, but she couldn't pass up on that softball he just tossed her.

"Oh you know what I meant Jack."

"Yeah, sure Gibbs."

"Probably should head upstairs and get ready real quick if you don't want nosey one and two jumping to conclusions. I doubt you would want them to know exactly whose bed you were in last night. We both know exactly how those two's minds work."

"Smart Cowboy. Give me about 20 minutes, then you can start the coffee. That'll be sure to wake them."

She went up to the bedroom to get changed, fix up her left-over makeup and curls from yesterday. Sure enough, about twenty minutes later she could smell the coffee being brewed. She made her way down to the kitchen quickly before the agents began to wake. Once she got to the kitchen she grabbed up the baby. She hadn't gotten to hold him since the night before and was beginning to crave some baby snuggles. As Gibbs finished up making the coffee she began to sing Christmas carols to him quietly.

"Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh…"

"Jack?" Torres said in a groggy tone as he sat up from his slumber on the couch.

"What about skiing in Vermont?" Bishop then chimed in.

"Oh, I made the mistake of checking in with Vance before leaving this morning. One mention of a stolen baby and I thought you guys might be a little short-handed, so…"

Their conversation was temporarily paused by the ringing of Gibbs' phone. He left the room and headed into the kitchen so he could hear what Palmer was trying to tell him. This gave the agents more time to probe Jack with their questions.

"So, you came all the way back for uh.. the case or the baby?" Torres asked Jack. He wasn't fully convinced that the baby was her entire reason for sticking around.

"Oh come on, who doesn't love a baby? I especially love a baby in a safe and happy home," she finished this statement using a sort of sing-songy baby voice while placing the baby down in the cradle.

"Yeah, which we're still no closer to finding," Bishop responded in a sarcastic baby tone.

Gibbs walked back into the room still talking to Palmer about the case. In his hands he carried four mugs of coffee for him and his agents. They all needed to be at the top of their game if they wanted to solve this case and get the baby home for the holidays. As he sat down to talk out the game plan with his team the front door opened and in walked McGee.

"Hey guys," Tim said as he walked in.

"McGee?" Bishop said in a curious tone.

"Couldn't sleep a wink, so uh, I booked a later flight," he responded. "What happened? I thought you were supposed to be in Vermont?" he asked Jack, just noticing that she was there.

"Oh…" she mouthed back silently while pointing towards the baby in the cradle and shaking her head from side to side as if in an it's either 'this or that' manner. It was much easier to just say nothing than to try and explain herself. Tim was easier to fool; he was usually a lot more trusting than the other two.

"We needs to head in. You two… get dressed and catch a ride with McGee. We'll meet you there," Gibbs said to his agents.

"Well, what about the baby? Who's taking him?"

"Oh no. I'm not taking him. I already broke my rule I set for myself at the beginning of this case last night when you were sleeping on the job. Bring him with you. We'll get someone to take care of him when we get there. Now get a move on."

Gibbs then made his way out the front door towards the truck. Jack was already in the truck warming it up for the drive. As he rounded the front of the truck he made a face at Jack causing her to visibly laugh and smile. He then appeared to have laughed back at her as he sat in the driver's seat.

"Did you see that?" Bishop exclaimed to the other two in the room.

"See what?" McGee responded.

"He was basically skipping when he went out to his truck. And did you see how they looked at each other? Tell me I'm not the only one that saw it," Bishop said in an excited child-like tone.

"Oh yeah. I saw it. Come on McGee. Quit pretending like you didn't see it. It was almost like Gibbs had a bounce when he was heading out to the truck," Torres said.

"Oh no. Don't say bounce. Please don't say Gibbs had a bounce to his walk," McGee pleaded to the other two.

"Why? What's wrong with bounce? That may be the best way to describe it," Ellie retorted.

"Just… you two get ready Gibbs will kill us if we take too long. I will tell you more in the car," McGee said. He was really just trying to avoid talking about it.

Ellie and Nick finished getting ready and loaded up in the car with the baby. The first few minutes of the drive were completely silent, but Ellie couldn't stand it any longer. "So, McGee, the bunce? What's the deal with that?"

"Okay, fine. So, seven years ago, we were working closely with Psy-Ops and with one particular psychologist by the name of Dr. Samantha Ryan. As time went on, Gibbs and Ryan started to develop a bond. Down the road, Ziva pointed out a certain 'bounce' that Gibbs seemed to have when he was around Ryan. I didn't want to believe it was true then, so I chose not to believe in it. That was, until I was forced to. One day, Dr. Ryan just up and left with her son, Parker. She did so to try and protect her son, but I think she was also trying to escape her feelings. You could see that Gibbs felt betrayed and even heartbroken over this. I think he would never admit it, but he had fallen into a certain level of love with her, but the same thing that has always seemed to happened to him when he let this happen fell suit. He was left alone once again, and his bounce disappeared. Until now… You see, I didn't want to admit that I saw the bounce this morning too because frankly, I'm scared for boss. I don't want him to get hurt again. If it happens again, that bounce will likely be gone for good."

"Wow… Gibbs must really have an thing for head doctors!" Torres chuckled.

"Nick!" Ellie said while slapping his arm to get him to shut up and be serious. "McGee, you don't really think that Jack would hurt him though right? I mean they both have been hurt so much in their lives. Maybe they are exactly what each other needs."

"Yeah, maybe," McGee said. Trying to avoid any more talk about it for now. He just wasn't ready to face the fact that Gibbs was putting himself in the most vulnerable place he had been in years. How was he going to help protect him from possible heartbreak again? And should he even try?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

After they had gotten to the office they had finally figured out who the baby was. Standing there in MTAC Gibbs' heart sunk to his gut when he saw the young mother selling her baby to Vicious. How much trouble could one person be in for them to decide that that was their only option? They needed to find this woman and talk to her quick. In just enough time, they finally knew where she was staying. They had to get there fast; there was no guarantee that she would still be there by the time they got there. As they arrived to the motel where the young mother was supposed to be staying they saw a woman who resembled her scrambling out of an upstairs room.

"She knows we're here," Gibbs said to McGee and Sloane who were there with him.

"Manager must have called," McGee replied.

The three agents split into two directions in order to better intercept her, anticipating her trying to run.

"Tanya Jacobs. NCIS!" Gibbs shouted out in her direction. Tanya desperately tried to flee. She was heading towards a car parked just at the front of the parking lot. Right as she was coming up to the car, Jack was arriving too.

"Tanya!" Jack said in a rushed tone.

"Please. Let me go! Let me go!" Tanya responded hastily. She was trying to get into the car, but Jack had grabbed her arm. She wasn't trying to be rough. She was simply trying to get her to calm down and keep her from escaping before they got the chance to talk with her.

"It's okay. Tanya, it's okay," jack said in a more calm tone. She was simply trying to let Tanya know that they weren't here to hurt her. Right at this moment, Gibbs was catching up the them. As he came up to the scene he gently slid his hand across the small of Jack's back, almost as if to reassure her that he was there for her and had her back. This light touch sent chills down Jack's spine, but she couldn't focus on it. Standing across from her was a desperate young woman who seriously needed her help.

"It's not okay. Leave me alone please!" Tanya said continuing to resist.

"Hey, hey, we just want to talk," at the same time, Gibbs had bent down to pick something up off of the ground that he had seen Tanya drop in the scuffle. It was a drug kit and the envelope full of the cash that she must have been paid when selling her baby. Him and Jack looked at Tanya with a worried parents sort of look. She must be no more than 20 years old, he thought to himself.

"It's not mine, I swear. I swear," Tanya said in a pleading tone towards Gibbs and Jack.

"It's okay," Gibbs said. He lightly touched her arm in his normal Gibbs reassuring manner. Something about his touch always had a way to make somebody feel calm. "How about we go sit over there and we can talk," he said, pointing over to a set of benches in the courtyard of the motel.

The agents gently escorted Tanya over to one of the benches. McGee went ahead back to NCIS with the drug kit and money so Kasie could do her magic in trying to track them back to their sources. Gibbs and Jack then settled in to try and figure out what got Tanya to this point.

"You pretty high right now Tonya?" Jack asked.

"I'm not high at all. I've been clean for months."

"There anybody we can call? Parents?" Gibbs asked. He knew that it was very unlikely, but when he saw young people hurting so bad he naturally got a little more protective.

"Yeah right. No. They kicked me out as soon as I got pregnant," Tanya replied. She then went on to talk about Vicious and the opportunity she got in selling her baby. "I'd thought I'd be okay, but then I found out that Vicious was dead, and—and—and… now I don't even know where my baby is."

At this point, Jack didn't even know how to feel. I mean how much do you tell to a woman who was willing to sell her own baby? She had mixed feelings about this situation, but she knew that if she were in Tanya's shoes at that point she would at least want to know that her baby was okay.

"Tanya, we have him," Jack said.

"You do?"

"Yes. He's safe."

"Wha…" Tanya's face lit up in shock and with Joy to this news.

"What's the name of the agency?" Gibbs asked. They still needed to find out more info so they could get the baby to his parents for Christmas.

"This changes everything," Tanya said. Her energy had lifted, and she was now smiling towards Gibbs.

Jack looked back at her with a look of confusion and worry. "Why—why does it change everything?" Jack asked.

"Maybe this is a sign… I've been thinking maybe if I would have just kept my baby, then I would've saved everybody from all of this trouble," Tanya said with continued excited energy.

"No, no, no, no, no," Jack said while shaking her head and leaning in towards Tanya.

"Why not? I've got money now. I could get us a place. A nice one," she then looked over towards Gibbs. He had a look of worry on his face observing everything that had been happening. He hurt inside knowing that they were going to have to keep a baby and his mother apart, but in this situation he needed to focus on getting Tanya the help she needed. "I mean, maybe this could be my second chance."

"Hey, Tanya, your best chance is without a baby right now. And your baby's best chance is with those adoptive parents," Jack replied to Tanya. Tanya began to cry, and Jack got up to join her on her bench to try and comfort her in this moment. "This opportunity— doesn't come around much. You have come this far, but you could go so much further, and so could your baby. If you let him go," Jack said this in a soothing tone and with inner passion. This was a voice that Gibbs had heard before, but it was only a tone she ever used when speaking from personal experience.

"You seem so sure. How do you know?" Tanya asked.

"Because I know…" Jack choked back as she said this. Pushing her own pain away. "All right? We all end up with regrets in our life, but one thing you will never regret is giving your baby a better life."

Gibbs looked on with awe. This was just another puzzle piece to add to what was the enigma of Jack Sloane. He didn't know the details ; he didn't need to know the details. All he knew at this point was how much he cared about her, and he knew that she had some level of care for him too if she was comfortable revealing this secret in front of him. He watched with enamor as she continued to try and reassure Tanya.

"More than anything else, I know that," Jack said. She then vowed to help Tanya get any support she needed to get on her feet and pointed in the right direction. She would have a long road ahead of her, but it would be the best decision she ever made for herself, and that was one thing Jack was certain of.


	4. Update 282020

Hey all! Oh my gosh…. Let me begin by apologizing for my absence all this time! I will be posting a new chapter or two in the next day or two I promise! I have not abandoned this story at all. I have had so much going on in my life between switching majors at school, beginning a new internship, working on a novel, and applying for Grad schools. Thank you all for your support. Please keep being patient, and I promise it will pay off! I am also working behind the scenes on a couple other great SLIBBS stories to post soon.


End file.
